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Old 01-13-2002, 01:03 PM   #1
Stygius
Elite Waterdeep Guard
 

Join Date: January 9, 2002
Location: New York
Posts: 4
Ok Bravehearts, here are two ways to get the maximum benefit from Potions of Surprise.

METHOD 1

Assuming that you have just leveled and have 6 points to spend
on increasing your attributes, follow the below-described steps exactly in the order and manner described:

1. Use ONLY ONE leveling point to increase whatever attribute most needs it, but, SAVE the other five points for step 3 (given how this works, using all six points for step 3 will waste one of your points).

2. Call up the character's inventory screen and, with it up (for easier stat comparisons later), save the game using "Q" key or the "Update Save" option in the Save screen.

Now, for step 3 to make sense to you, I need to explain the underlying basis for maximizing your points using this little trick.

The reason that these are called "Potions of Surprise" is that you can get different results each time you drink one of them. The way the potion works is that it transfers five points from one of your attributes to another of your attributes. It has TWO key randomness factors, however, that you can use to good advantage, so long as you have saved before using the potion.

First, each time you drink it, you can get a different attribute transfer. Thus, if you save the game before using one of these potions, and then drink it, your strength attribute may go down while your magic attribute goes up, and, if you load the saved game and drink the potion again, there is a small chance that the same tranfer may occur, but, what is more likely given the number of possible tranfer combinations is that your vitality or some other attribute will go down while dexterity or some other attribute goes up.

Second, and, most importantly, you sometimes don't get a one-to-one point transfer. SOMETIMES ONE ATTRIBUTE GOES DOWN BY FIVE POINTS WHILE ANOTHER GOES UP BY TEN POINTS! Now that is a nice surprise, indeed. And here is how you take advantage of it in step 3.

3. After saving in step 1, pump ALL of the remaining five points that you got from leveling into the attribute that you LEAST want to raise.... yes, you heard me right, because the plan is to have these points transferred by the surprise potion from the least important attribute for this character to the one most important to him at the time, and for this to happen at that wonderful 2 to 1 ratio! YESSSS!!! Now, be careful doing step 4.

4. WARNING .... Save again, BUT NOT BY HITTING "Q" or using "UPDATE SAVE" from the Save screen!!! IF YOU SAVE AT THIS POINT USING THE Q KEY OR BY CLICKING ON "UPDATE SAVE", YOU WILL HAVE WASTED YOUR LEVELING POINTS BY PUTTING THEM INTO YOUR LEAST IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTE AND THEN WILL NOT BE ABLE TO UNDO THIS CRUMMY WASTE OF LEVELING POINTS!!! Your loved ones will then have to listen to your wails and screams for who knows how long.

Instead, you save in step 4 by hitting the "esc" key to leave the inventory screen, and then you click on "Save" and when the Save screen comes up, you click on "NEW SAVE". Once this is done, if you call up the Load game screen, the "New Save" game that you just saved will appear as the last on the list of saved games, and the saved game above that will have an asterisk next to it and will be the game that you saved BEFORE transfering your leveling points into your crummiest attribute.

5. BE SURE THAT YOU ARE IN THE AFORESAID "NEW SAVE" GAME WHEN YOU DO STEP 5. With your inventory screen up, right click on the Potion of Surprise so that an attribute transfer takes place. While doing this, keep your eyes on the attribute that you want to raise by ten points. If it doesn't go up by ten points, just reload the New Save game and quaff the potion again and keep repeating this process until you've boosted your favorite attribute by ten points AND THIS HAS OCCURRED AS THE RESULT OF A FIVE POINT DROP FROM THE LEAST FAVORITE ATTRIBUTE THAT YOU PREVIOUSLY PUMPED UP WITH YOUR FIVE LEVELING POINTS. Heh, see I wasn't nuts after all. Be patient, since it may take a dozen or more attempts to get there, but, trust me, you will.

Once you've gotten this result, and if you are 100% happy about its final, overall effects on your stats, you can save using the Q button or the Update Save option, and you can delete the no-longer- needed New Saves. If, on the other hand, you are having second thoughts about your initial decision as to which attribute was least important to you, you can always go back to your prior saved game with the asterisk next to it, which was saved before you spent the five leveling points, and you can use them differently.


METHOD 2

Use Method 1, above, BUT not necessarily the instant you get a surprise potion. If, for example, you have two attributes and associated stats that are important to you, you can delay using up the Surprise Potion until you acquire some really good item that boosts one of these attributes or just pumps up its associated stat, and then use the potion to boost the other attribute/stat. This avoids boosting an attribute with a potion only to tear your hair out when, a little later, you pick up loot or get a chance to buy equipment or jewelry that would have achieved the same result. This delay also gives you the option to use the Surprise Potion on one character rather than his partner, if one of them acquires gear that does the job without using up one if these rare potions. Obviously, whether or how long you delay is a judgment call that depends on a bunch of factors.

Hope this helps.


Happy Adventuring !!
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Old 01-13-2002, 02:28 PM   #2
Mouse
Ironworks Moderator
 

Join Date: March 1, 2001
Location: Scotland
Posts: 2,788
Whew [img]graemlins/crazyeyes.gif[/img] you really put some thought into that one

Keep up the good work!
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Old 02-04-2002, 08:36 AM   #3
WZ
Elite Waterdeep Guard
 

Join Date: November 8, 2001
Location: Vault13
Posts: 39
Careful sometimes an attribute goes down by 10 points while the other raises by 5... Nasty.
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